The stage and screen actor best known for his roles on 'Californication' and 'Sex and the City' discusses what it was like to be diagnosed with leukemia and how he beat the disease.

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The star of Sex and the City and Californication was diagnosed with a deadly form of leukemia - and he's not afraid to share what it was like to survive treatment and get back to the business of living.

Evan Handler is perhaps best known for his role on Sex and the City, where he played Harry Goldenblatt, Charlotte's brash-but-you-can't-help-falling-for-him husband. But Evan has done much more than just hit the city with the ladies - he's had leading roles in Broadway productions, as well as turns in scores of other plays and films. He is also an author, displaying his incisive wit and snarky humor in articles for the New Yorker, Elle, and Mirabella, among others, and currently he's co-starring in Showtime's popular series, Californication, opposite David Duchovny and Pamela Adlon.

Evan's accomplishments are especially remarkable considering that in his mid-twenties he was busy fighting for his life-literally. Diagnosed at 24 with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), he wasn't expected to live. He wrote about those horrific years in his well-reviewed memoir Time on Fire: My Comedy of Terrors, which he also performed as a one-man show. His newly released second memoir, It's Only Temporary: The Good News and Bad News of Being Alive, chronicles his lengthy search for love and meaning after his illness.

Evan recently talked with Everyday Health about his recovery process and what he'd like to share with other people about battling deadly illnesses.

Everyday Health: What was it like to be diagnosed with a fatal disease at 24?

Evan Handler: The only thing I can say is the obvious: It's devastating and horrifying and terrifying, and I wouldn't recommend that anyone go out and seek the experience.

Everyday Health: You were quoted as saying that your treatment for leukemia was 'abusive and arrogant.' Do you think your anger at being treated that way helped you fight your terminal diagnosis?

Evan Handler: I wouldn't use those words to describe all the treatment I received, but there certainly were people who were arrogant and abusive. And it's true, I didn't shy away from my anger and outrage. I found them to be energizing forces. And while, sure, I looked into philosophies that had to do with positive thoughts and positive feelings, I thought the whole time that people shouldn't be so frightened of rage as a motivating force. Rage and revenge: I latched on to them and rode them for all they were worth.

But I wouldn't attribute [my recovery] to any one thing - I mean, yes, I was determined to make it, but I'm sure there were many people who were just as determined, who didn't make it. A huge dose of luck and a bone marrow transplant in 1988 didn't hurt.

Everyday Health: Did your sense of humor, evidenced in both of your books, help you get through the tough times?

Evan Handler: It certainly helped me tolerate things in my life, and hopefully made others tolerate me better. I tell difficult stories, and a sense of humor is key to getting people to listen to difficult material.

Everyday Health: How do you stay healthy now? Do you have any diets you follow or exercise routines?

Evan Handler: I eat lots of things I shouldn't, and don't exercise as much as I should … I'm actually trying to get on a better track right now. There have been times in my life when I've eaten very well and have gotten into terrific shape, but that's been harder and harder the older and busier I've gotten.

Everyday Health: I'm sure you know how much your first book helped people, both the sick and the caregivers. How does it feel to be an inspiration to so many?

Evan Handler: I often get contacted by people who tell me that, and that's part of what makes [writing autobiographical books] worthwhile. I take great pride and satisfaction in that. One of the things I inspired myself with, in order to get through it, was to say that it would be valuable to simply exist as an example of what can be accomplished. I let it be known where I've been, because when I was sick, I certainly would have liked to have seen someone stand up who had been through what I had.

Everyday Health: Did you feel pressure to do the same thing in your second book?

Evan Handler: No, and really, I didn't even feel that pressure with the first book. I mean, I don't think my books are the usual books that people turn to for inspiration; those are usually much more sentimental. That's why I take such great pride when [the books] are inspiring to people. And no, the second book, It's Only Temporary, I think, is challenging for people - I mean, when you think of someone who's just lucky to be alive, you think you're going to get a book that's a pure celebration of life. But this is about someone who finds that gratification very hard-earned. It takes a long time to get through the anger over what's been taken, to get to the gratitude over what's been preserved. Books like that work better for me, but then again, I tend to vote for losing candidates. So I'm not a majority guy, I guess.

Everyday Health: Did your experience as an actor help with your writing? Do you find much overlap between the two?

Evan Handler: My experience as an actor who worked extensively on new plays and who was involved in the development of new works helped a lot. I was pretty well acquainted with the principles of structure. The one-man show I wrote was a condensation of the material, but what I wanted to do all along was write a book. I tried to keep in mind simple principles, like throwing obstacles in the path of the character and letting the audience enjoy watching the character find his way around them or beat his head against them, as the case may be.

Everyday Health: Your life has changed a lot in the last few years: a new wife, a new baby, and a new show, Californication. What's next for you?

Evan Handler: I just finished the shooting season for Californication, which will start airing September 28th. Also, I'm going to do a 25-city book tour; I want to devote some time to trying to get attention for the book. But, you know, the family dominates.

Everyday Health: Do you have any advice for someone who's been diagnosed with a supposedly incurable disease?

Evan Handler: The best I can come up with is to gather as much information as you can and to make yourself as well-informed as you can. I went through my illness before the Internet, so it was even more difficult. Now I suppose the struggle is to wade through all the information out there in order to decide what's good and appropriate for you.

The idea that the best health care in the United States is in New York is not necessarily true, and the idea that the best health care in the world is in the United States isn't necessarily true either. There are treatments and experts all over that are worth looking into, and I don't even mean non-mainstream; I mean physicians and drug protocols that are not routine here. It's very difficult to do when you're in the midst of a crisis, but the best thing I did was to travel to far-flung places and investigate as deeply as I could so I could get the right treatment. In the end, information is power.

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